Åkra is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1892 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Karmøy Municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre was the village of Åkrehamn. Other villages in the municipality included Veavågen and Sævelandsvik.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 483rd largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Åkra Municipality was the 161st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 9.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Aakre (later spelled Åkra) was established on 1 January 1892 when Skudenes Municipality was divided into two: the northern part (population: 1,962) became the new Aakre Municipality and the southern part (population: 2,732) remained as a smaller Skudenes Municipality.
On 1 January 1965, Åkra Municipality (population: 6,008) was dissolved upon recommendations of the Schei Committee and its lands were merged with the following areas to form the new Karmøy Municipality:
all of the town of Kopervik (population: 1,737) all of the town of Skudeneshavn (population: 1,275) all of the Skudenes Municipality (population: 3,583) all of the Stangaland Municipality (population: 2,678) most of Avaldsnes Municipality (population: 4,153), except for the Gismarvik, Førre, and Stegaberg areas that became part of Tysvær Municipality most of Torvastad Municipality (population: 3,783), except for the island of Vibrandsøy (population: 70) which became part of Haugesund Municipality
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Aakre farm () since the first Åkra Church was built there. The name comes from the plural form of which means "field" or "acre".
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Aakre. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Aakra. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aakra with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åkra, using the letter Å instead.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Åkra Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Kopervik prestegjeld and the Karmsund prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
Churches in Åkra MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtÅkraÅkra ChurchÅkrehamn1985Old Åkra ChurchÅkrehamn1821
Geography Åkra Municipality included the western central portions of the island of Karmøy. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Rossafjellet. Stangaland Municipality was located to the north and east, Skudenes Municipality was located to the south, and Utsira Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Åkra Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Karmsund District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Åkra Municipality was made up of 25 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Åkra Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1892–1897: Jakob E. Midhaug 1898–1907: Peder O. Vea 1908–1910: Didrik S. Vea 1911–1913: Rasmus S. Tjøsvold 1914–1916: Bendik Mannæs 1917–1917: Edvard Svendsen Vea 1918–1919: Bendik Mannæs 1920–1925: Edvard Svendsen Vea 1926–1931: Govert Grindhaug 1932–1934: Lars K. Munkejord 1935–1937: Henrik Ringdal 1938–1941: Lars Tvedt 1942–1942: Olav Åsen 1943–1943: Ivar Kvale 1944–1945: Helmer Grindheim 1945–1945: Lars Tvedt (H) 1945–1947: Einar Andreassen (Ap) 1947–1951: Henrik Ringdal 1951–1955: Einar Andreassen (Ap) 1955–1959: Torgils Grindhaug (LL) 1959–1961: Einar Andreassen (Ap) 1961–1963: Søren Vermundsen 1963–1964: Torgils Grindhaug (LL)
Attractions The Old Åkra Church () dates back to 1821. It was built of wood and has 320 seats. The church was restored in 1852 and 1899. Rogaland Fishery Museum () is situated on the harbor in Åkrehamn. It contains a restored herring works with a collection of artifacts and equipment associated with the local fishing and shipping industries.
Notable people Jostein Grindhaug, a football manager
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links Åkrehamn Veksts website